Julie Hermann appears to have weathered a tumultuous three-week period, including widespread calls for her to step aside as Rutgers University's incoming athletic director, but by some measures the hard work begins in earnest this morning, when she is scheduled to officially start her new job in Piscataway.

A number of imposing challenges await her. Chief among these is rehabilitating the athletic department's tattered image after a series of scandals and missteps, including the controversy over her hiring, and to help put the department on firmer financial footing as Rutgers prepares to enter the prestigious Big Ten athletic conference next year. She also must address the pressing need for renovations to the university's aging athletic center and make critical personnel decisions, including about the futures of Rutgers' football and women's basketball coaches.

Among those who will be watching Hermann as she settles into her new role is state Sen. Ray Lesniak, one of the critics who called for Rutgers President Robert L. Barchi to resign and for Hermann to step aside after allegations surfaced late last month that she had belittled and humiliated players while she was a volleyball coach at the University of Tennessee. Hermann has denied the allegations.

"She says she's up to it, the [Rutgers governing] board thinks she's up for it, and now it's time to produce," said Lesniak, D-Union. "I still have serious doubts about the leadership at Rutgers, but the proof will be in the pudding."

The abuse allegations were particularly unsettling for Rutgers, which has yet to fully emerge from a period of turmoil that began in early April, when ESPN broadcast footage of the men's basketball coach, Mike Rice, verbally and physically abusing his players. Rice was fired, and Athletic Director Tim Pernetti was forced to resign for suspending and fining Rice instead of dismissing him after Pernetti first viewed the footage late last year.

Hermann, 49, a former associate athletic director at the University of Louisville, signed a five-year deal with Rutgers valued at over $2.25 million to become the first woman to lead its athletic department. Her hiring, which the university announced on May 15, was heralded as a new start for Rutgers and its athletic programs. However, some members of the university's search committee said the process of selecting her had been rushed and flawed, and she arrives on campus amid a climate of mistrust.

Jason Baum, an athletic department spokesman, said Hermann was not available for comment. At a brief and tightly choreographed press conference in Piscataway on June 5, she acknowledged that she has a steep climb ahead of her and that she would have to work harder than she initially expected to "connect with the people who are passionate about Rutgers."

Tom Lynaugh, an alumnus and longtime Rutgers football fan from Tenafly, said last week he remains unconvinced that Hermann is the best person to lead the athletic department.

"I'm not sure she can be taken seriously in that position," he said. "A lot of us feel she's unqualified."

Lynaugh, an attorney, said Hermann was less than candid when she was asked about her past, and he noted that she was not in charge of any of the University of Louisville's revenue-producing sports, including basketball and football.

"It's a bad fit at the wrong time," Lynaugh said. "It was an unbelievable moment when we got into the Big Ten. I was like, 'Pinch me.' We were planning road trips. But this has thrown a lot of cold water on it."

Lynaugh said he and his old roommate from Rutgers were planning to buy season tickets to Scarlet Knights football games but have decided to hold off.

"I'm reluctant to make a big commitment right now, with things being unsettled and not having a lot of confidence in the leadership," Lynaugh said.

Hermann made a start last week at mending fences when she met with some of the sports department's most generous donors at a restaurant in New Brunswick.

A number of them said they came away feeling better about her taking the job.

"I could sense … she was sincere," said Pete Hendricks, an alumnus and donor who attended the event. "Her experience at Louisville brings a lot to our table."

Hermann will come face-to-face with one of her biggest challenges when she reports to her office today in the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway. Officials say the 36-year-old center, which is the venue for basketball, needs a $30 million overhaul. Raising money for the renovation is expected to be one of Hermann's priorities.

She also faces contract negotiations with women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, who is heading into the final year of a deal under which she received $957,159 in total compensation last year — a figure that makes her Rutgers' highest paid employee, despite several recent lackluster seasons.